Bible Reading

1 min

“The Three Little Pigs” as a Biblical Devotional for You & Your Child

Would you like a vibrant, hands-on way to instill the wisdom of God into your child's mind and heart? Would you like to impress upon him or her a sense of importance in building one's life on Jesus? Does the idea of teaching this principle seem rather abstract and challenging? What if I told you that "The Three Little Pigs" can help?!

As Christian parents, we understand the gravity of our responsibility to shepherd our children toward Jesus. We know that obeying God is essential to experiencing love, joy, peace, and fulfillment. And yet, oftentimes it is hard to figure out how to relay this in ways that edify and inspire them.

If you could use some help finding fun, meaningful, and effective age-appropriate ideas to teach your child wise instructions from God, here is a great tool you can begin using today! It will assist you in reaching this goal, build a stronger relationship between you, and deepen your connection with the Lord.

By using inspirational mainstream storybooks and combining them with Bible readings, you can be the messenger of some memorable lessons that will help them get to know Jesus more personally and envision how to build a life on His teachings.

This article includes a personal devotional for you to connect with God, equip you with Bible passages and children's resources, and transform storytime into a rich, interactive teaching experience for you and your child.

Your Personal Devotional - personally reading the Bible passage and talking with God
Main Idea - identifying the core message to convey to your child by seeing the storybook's moral through a biblical lense
Plot Summary & Key Concepts - understanding the ins & outs of how the story imparts the biblical lesson before teaching it to your child
Prayer - preparing your heart & praying for your child before storytime
Devotional Storytime - beginning storytime with an opening prompt to help your child hone in on the core Truth, reading the storybook, reading the Bible passage, and organically discussing all of it
Questions to Prompt Discussion - asking open-ended questions to prompt fruitful exploration & dialogue over the course of time
Activities & Other Resources - discovering additional Bible passages, storybooks, and activities that delve deeper into the lesson

This is a tool, not a script. It is meant for you to read, gain insight, personalize, and then naturally share your own input with your children during storytime and throughout the day as natural discussions arise. By using this lesson as your own personal devotional and by praying for direction, you will be ready to have dynamic conversations and enjoy purposeful play with your children at their level of development and interest. Have fun with it!

For this lesson (check out the others!) you will read what God has to say about making wise choices and building our lives on Him. We will use “The Three Little Pigs", an age-old story told by many authors.

Are you ready for a memorable picture of how God makes all the difference in how much inner strength we have? Let's get started!

Your Personal Devotional

Read Matthew 7:24-27 (CEV)

Anyone who hears and obeys these teachings of mine is like a wise person who built a house on solid rock. Rain poured down, rivers flooded, and winds beat against that house. But it was built on solid rock, and so it did not fall.

Anyone who hears my teachings and doesn't obey them is like a foolish person who built a house on sand. Rain poured down, rivers flooded, and the winds blew and beat against that house. Finally, it fell with a crash.

In a culture based on appearances and quick fixes, it is easy to fall into traps that will keep you from building your life on Jesus - the Rock. What does it mean to build your life on Him? It begins by receiving forgiveness for your sins and reconciliation with God through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. [If you have not yet made this decision or are unsure if you have, I encourage you to read: How to Become a Christian in 2 Life-Saving Steps.]

Once Jesus has become the Savior and Lord of your life, you can develop a vibrant personal relationship where you can talk with Him about anything, receive encouragement, and be empowered to listen and follow Him. You might be wondering how to hear God. Through reading the Bible and praying, you will become attuned to His voice and learn more details on what obedience looks like. Some passages containing a lot of specifics include: the 10 commandments, the Sermon on the Mount, and the fruit of the Spirit. The Word of God is a light for your life paths (Ps. 119:105) and reading it daily will help you flourish (Ps. 1:2-3).

Even when Christ-followers follow God's path, discouragement and hardships will arise (Jn. 16:33). Some hardships can involve harm done to us. It is especially important in times like this to remember that God is always with you; He goes before you and behind you (Ps. 139:5) to guide and help you. You can rely on Him to give you strength to persevere when life feels like it is falling apart (Is. 40:27-31).

Spend some thinking about how God has helped you in difficult times. If you are actively making unwise choices, confess this to the Lord and receive His forgiveness. Ask God to help you build your life on Him.

Read: “The Three Little Pigs” by, Various Authors

[Handheld books are invaluable for growing children; but if you are unable to purchase or borrow it from a library, you can listen to this book read aloud here: The Three Little Pigs

“The Three Little Pigs” is a story familiar to most people. However, seeing it through the lens of Scripture will be a new experience. This classic book can help your child visualize the importance of being patient, making wise choices, and working hard. It touches on the natural curiosities children have about growing up. Lastly, it can be a powerful opportunity to discuss common childhood fears and how God helps us when someone is trying to hurt us. I caution you to consider if the wolf in the story would be too scary for your child. Depending on your child's current stage of development, it might be better to read this book when her or she gets older.

Main Idea

In this lesson, the storybook's plot combined with the Bible passage will help you communicate:

God is always with you and you can ask Him for help anytime. He loves you and wants to guide and protect you; that's why He gave us the Bible to read and learn how to build our lives on Him. I love you too and want you to make wise (good) choices; that is why I teach you what God says.

Plot Summary & Key Concepts

“The Three Little Pigs” covers these concepts:

New Beginnings: The three pigs said goodbye to their parents and set out on their own.
Choices: As soon as he could, the first pig built a flimsy straw house so he could relax. A little later, the second pig settled for a house of sticks she quickly threw together. The third pig, after finding an ideal plot to build, drafted a plan, purchased good materials, and constructed a solid house.
Results: The first two pigs narrowly escaped being eaten by a wolf who blew down their rickety houses. The third pig not only remained secure in his strong house, but was able to provide safe shelter for his siblings.

Prayer

Before storytime, thank God for sending the Holy Spirit to guide you in how to build your life on Him. Think of how God has protected you from anyone who has tried to do you harm. Pray that you will be able to share the Lord's teachings lovingly and clearly. Ask Him to show you whether your child would be scared or inspired by this story. Be encouraged by God's promise in James 1:5 that, "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you."

You are now ready to enjoy a meaningful storytime and Bible lesson with your child!

Devotional Storytime

Before opening “The Three Little Pigs” consider asking your child (in your own words):

Do you like to make things quick and easy or strong - even when it takes longer?

[It bears repeating that handheld books encourage child development. Consider purchasing or borrowing this book. You can also listen to it read aloud here: The Three Little Pigs .]

After reading the book together, talk about what happened. It will be more impactful and personalized if you help your child recount the story rather than for you to do it.

Use the example of the pigs' choices to point out that everyone (you included) makes foolishly hasty decisions sometimes. Then, explain that God wants to show us how to make good choices and help us when doing it feels too hard.

Show your child where to find this core Truth in the Bible by reading this lesson's Bible passage which I have included again below.

Read Matthew 7:24-27 (CEV)

Anyone who hears and obeys these teachings of mine is like a wise person who built a house on solid rock. Rain poured down, rivers flooded, and winds beat against that house. But it was built on solid rock, and so it did not fall.

Anyone who hears my teachings and doesn't obey them is like a foolish person who built a house on sand. Rain poured down, rivers flooded, and the winds blew and beat against that house. Finally, it fell with a crash.

Consider sharing what this passage means to you; and sense whether it would be beneficial to inquire about what it means to him or her. You may even want to share a (child appropriate) personal example of a wise or unwise decision you have made.

As you discuss the storybook and Bible passage now or in future conversations, here are some good principles to understand and convey, as well as ways to encourage wise choices:

Children are naturally curious about growing up.
Doing things the easy way isn't always the best way.
Children have fears and talking them through is helpful - especially if you teach and model for them how to pray for help.
It's important to keep from saying that God will keep all bad things from happening. Instead, it is most helpful to teach that the Lord walks through difficulties with us and brings good even out of bad things.
God teaches us what choices are good because He loves us.
God wants to help us make good choices and He wants us to ask Him for help.
Everyone makes mistakes and God will help you make things better whenever you make a mistake.

Questions to Prompt Discussion

(Remember that these are intended for you to pick-and-choose from and to be used over time, not all in one sitting.)

Was anything in the book scary to you?
What can you do if you ever feel scared?
Who helps you?
Have you ever asked God for help?
How has God helped you?
Is there a way I can help you?
What do you think it means to "build your life on Jesus?"
What do you think it means to hear and obey Jesus' teachings?
Have you ever helped someone? Who & how?
Which house do you like best? What do you like about it?
Which house would you want to live in? Why?
How did the pigs help each other?
Do you think the pigs' parents would help if they knew help was needed?
Do you think the pigs had some fun together on their adventure?
What kinds of adventures do you like?
Who do you have fun with?

Activities & Other Resources

"Crane Truck's Opposites: Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site" by, Sherrie Duskey Rinker and Ethan Long - This is a fun book that taps into children's natural curiosity about construction vehicles. If you look a little deeper, you will see a couple of principles that support the lesson in this devotional: taking the time and effort to build with quality, and working together. [Purchase, check out of the library, or watch it read here.]
"Little Excavator" by, Anna Dewdney - Here is a book that encourages children to understand their abilities, inspires them to find ways to help, and gives them a vision for the future. [Purchase, check out of the library, or watch it read here.]
"What Will We Build Today?" by, Katherine Durgin-Bruce; illustrated by, Mike Byrne - Imagination and possibilities are explored in this fun book. It also helps children see how their parents' support them. [Purchase, check out of the library, or watch it read here.]
Build two houses - one on an unstable surface (i.e., loose sand, beads or marbles, tilted surface, etc.), and one on a solid surface (i.e., clay, carboard box with appropriately sized slits to securely insert building pieces, level surface, etc.) Use building materials like blocks, sticks, etc. Once completed, pour water over the houses (do outside or with some sort of catch-basin underneath) - enough to knock over the unstable house. You may want to try this on your own first so you can see if the materials work well.
Build fun, healthy snacks that look like animals. Here are some ideas with pictures.
Isaiah 41:10 - This verse teaches that God will always be with us and help us.
Deuteronomy 32:4, Psalm 18:2, Psalm 62:6, and 1 Corinthians 10:4 - One of the Lord's names, the Rock, is revealed in these verses.
On your own, spend some time reading the Old Testament Book of Nehemiah which is about the Hebrew people rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem. It had been destroyed by their adversary after God's people foolishly lived according to their own fleshly desires rather than obeying the Lord. Once they completed the rebuilding, the priest (Ezra) read God's Word to them so they could be reminded of the Law and rededicate themselves to living for God. Becoming personally familiar with this historical story will help you gain more insight on the importance of building your life on Jesus and will better equip you to istill this value into the heart and mind of your child.

Takeaway

Children are naturally motivated to create and build. Reading the picture books and doing the activities in this lesson will be fun, enlightening, and inspiring for your child. The organic conversations that arise during and after your devotional time together will provide you with many special opportunities to strengthen your relationship with one another and help your child grow in his or her personal relationship with Jesus.

Comment below. I'd love to hear how your storytime devotional experience has been!

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